Method of and device for forging



March 6, 1945- P. E. FLOWERS METHOD OF AND DEVICE FOR FORGING 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 9, 1942 l\ o, N 5 v INVENTOQ DAUL E. FLONEQS y J KM ATTORNEYS March 6, 1945. p W -s 2,371,041

METHOD OF AND DEVICE FOR EFOR'GING Filed Jan. 9, .1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 a JWaJW ATTOIINEVS Patented Mar. 6, 1945 METHOD or AND' DEVICE Fon rename Paul E. Flowers, Mount Gilead, Ohio, asslgnor to The Hydraulic Development Corporation, Inc., Wilmington, Del., a corporation of Delaware Application January 9, 1942, Serial No. 426,15l

6 Claims. (01. 76-114) This invention relates to forging and, in particular, to hot forging.

When forging a work piece with heads or enlarged portions on each end, such as a wrench,

operations heretofore required for forging work pieces of the above mentioned type. a

It is another object to provide an improved forging method, which will make it possible, in

a single operation, to forge from stock material a Work piece which is wider at its ends than intermediate its ends.

Still another object of the invention consists in the provision of an improved method of forging work pieces with heads at each end by inserting stock material in a multi-part die or mold, fioatingly supporting the said die or mold, and

exerting forging pressure upon one end of the said stock material so as tomove the floating die or mold against a stationary die member.

It i also an object of the invention to provide improved forging means which will mak it possible to forge from bar or stock material in a single operation a work piece with enlarged parts at its ends.

A stillfurther object of the invention consists erably stock material, is first heated at least at its ends and then inserted in hot condition into a fioatlngly supported mold so that the lower end of the material rests upon a stationary die.

Pressure is then exerted upon the other end of the material by means of a punch or die so that the upper portion of the material fills in the adjacent mold cavity, while simultaneously the mold moves toward the stationary die, which latter presses the adjacent material into the adjacent cavity of the mold.

When the work piece has thus been forged, the mold, which preferably consists of two parts, is opened and the work piece removed.

Structural arrangement In the drawings, Ill designates a mold which comprises two mold halves II and H hinged together by means of a hinge I 3 and adapted to be locked in closed position by locking means, generally designated l4. These locking means comprise a lever l5having linked thereto a hook l6 which, when the molds are in locked position, engages a locking pin ll.

The mold I0 is preferably provided with two or more locking means M. The mold l0 shown in the drawings confines a cavity generally desin the provision of forging means comprising a floating mold or die for forging work pieces with enlarged ends in a single operation.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly from the following specification inconnection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

ignated l8, with an upper chamber l9 and a lower chamber 20, interconnected by a bore 2L The mold I0 is furthermore provided with g'uiding bores 22 slidably engaged by guiding bolts 23, which are screwed into or otherwise connected to a base member 24. The base member 24 carries a stationary die 25 which, in the embodiment shown in the drawings, is of hexagonal shape and screwed into the base member 24. The base member 24 is furthermore provided with a recess 26 carrying a supporting bolt 21 passin through Figure 1 is a section along the line l-l of forging operation according to the invention.

Figure 3 shows the work piece and the forging means at the end of the forging operation.

Fi ure 4 is a section along the line 4-4 of Figure 3. I

General arrangement According to the improved forging method of the invention, the material to be forged, prefthe bottom 28 of the recess ZS-and being provided with a head 29. Surrounding the bolt 21 and arranged between the bottom 28 of the recess 2'8 and the bolt head 29 is a spring 30. The head 29 has inserted therein a shim 3| which is held on the head 29 by means of a pin 32 connected to the shim 3| and entering a corresponding bore in the bolt'll.

\The base member 24 carries a plurality of bolts 21, as indicated in Figure 4. Each shim 3| of bolt 21 is guided in a groove 33 at the bottom of the mold II). If it. is desired to vary the maximum distance between the base member 24 and the mold II), it is merely necessary to exchange the shims 3| or to omit them altogether, in which latter instance the head 29 of each bolt 21 is guided in the grooves 33.

Slldably arranged in the upper chamber IQ of the mold cavity I8 is a hollow die member 34 for screwing or otherwise securing thereto a punch 35. Slidably arranged intermediate the punch 35 and die member 34 is a guiding member 36 which simultaneously acts as a die. To prevent rotation of the guiding member 36 relative to the hollow die member 34, the guiding member 36 is provided with a groove 31 engaged by a key 38 connected to the hoIgJZ Qdie member 34.

To carry out a forging op tion, the hollow die member 34, together the punch 35 and guiding member 36, is withdrawn from the mold l0, while the mold is closed. Then the work piece 39, after having been heated at its ends or throughout its entire'length, is inserted into the mold l so that its lower end rests upon the stationary die member 25. Thereupon the hollow die member 34, which is connected to the press plunger (not shown), is moved downwardly so that the guiding member 36 surrounds the upper portion of the work piece 39, while the punch 35 begins to exert pressure upon the upper portion of the work piece 39. 1

Due to this pressure, the material of the work piece, at both ends thereof, begins to spread and to fill a portion of the upper and lower chambers, i9 and 20 respectively, as indicated in Figure 2. Simultaneously, due to the pressure exerted by the punch 35, the mold Ill yields and ,moves downwardly against the thrust of the springs 30.

At the end of the forging operation, the elements occupy the position shown in Figure 3, at

which time the upper end of the work piece 39 has been forged into a hollow'hexagonal head, whereas the lower part has been forged into a smaller solid hexagonal head. The mold halves II and I2 are then opened by operation of the lever l and the work piece is removed. The

mold may then be closed and is ready for a new forging operation.

It is, of course, understood that the new forging method according to the invention is by no means limited to the structure of the mold shown in the drawings.

It will also be clear that the die member 25 and die member 34 and punch 35, as well as the "guiding member 36, may be exchanged for differently sized members to make it possible to provide the work piece 39 with differently shaped heads while still using the same mold. To vary the thickness of the lower head on the work piece, it is merely necessary to exchange the'shims 3|, or to remove them altogether.

It will be understood that I desire to comprehend within my invention such modifications as come within the scope of the claims and the invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is: v

1. In a method of forging an article having enlarged ends, the steps of inserting a heated workpiece of substantially uniform cross section into a mold having a cavity therein defining the ing, and exerting forging pressure on both ends of the workpiece to form the enlarged ends, the flow of metal adjacent the confined end bein radially outwardly from the workpiece and then upwardly ina direction opposite to the forging pressure of said end.

2. In a method of forging an article having enlarged ends, the steps of inserting a heated workpiece of substantially uniform cross-section into a mold having a cavity therein definin the contour of the finished article, the mold having a cavity at each end to provide enlarged ends of the workpiece, confining the middle portion of said workpiece to prevent deformation thereof relative to the cross-section of the workpiece, confining the workpiece from one end thereof for a substantial distance inwardly of said end to prevent deformation of said end relative to the crosssection of the workpiece during initial forging, and exerting forging pressure on both ends of the workpiece to form the enlarged ends, the flow of metal of the confined end being in the direction of the forging pressure of said end and the flow of metal adjacent the confined end being r radially outwardly from the workpiece and then upwardly in a direction opposite to the forging pressure of said end.

3. A method of forging an article having enlarged ends including the steps of inserting a heated workpiece into a mold having a cavity therein defining the finished article, the mold having a cavity at each end to provide enlarged ends of the.workpiece, confining the workpiece from one ,end thereof for a substantial distance inwardly of said end by a sleeve surrounding the workpiece to prevent deformation of said end relative to the original cross-sectional shape of said workpiece during initial forging and exerting forging pressure. on both ends of the workpiece to form the enlarged ends, the forging pressure adjacent the confined end forcing metal radially outwardly beyond the end of the sleeve and then upwardly surrounding the sleeve.

4. A method of forging an article having enlarged ends including the steps of inserting a heated workpiece into a mold having a cavity therein defining the finished article, the mold having a cavity at each end to provide enlarged ends of the workpiece, confining the workpiece from one end thereof for a substantial distance inwardly of said end by a sleeve surrounding the workpiece to prevent deformation of said end relative to the original cross-sectional shape of said workpiece during initial forging and exerting forging pressure on both ends of the workpiece to form the enlarged ends, the forging pressure adjacent the confined end forcing metal radially outwardly beyond the end of the sleeve and then upwardly surrounding the sleeve to form said end of the finished article with a substantially centrally positioned'cavity.

5. In a method of forging an article having enlarged ends, the steps of inserting a heated workpiece of substantially uniform cross-section into a mold having a, cavity therein defining the contour of the finished article, the mold having by a sleeve surrounding the workpiecev to prevent deformation of said end relative to the cross-section of the workpiece during initial forging, and exerting forging pressure on both ends of the workpiece to formthe enlarged ends, forging pressure on the confined end forcing the confined end in the direction of the forging pressure and the flow of metal adjacent the confined end being radially outwardly from the workpiece and then upwardly in a direction opposite to the forging pressure of said end to form said end of the finished article with a, substantially centrally positioned cavity.

6. A method of forging an article having enlarged ends including the steps of inserting a heated workpiece into a mold having a cavity therein defining the finished article, the mold having a cavity at each end to provide enlarged ends of the workpiece, confining the workpiece from one end thereof for a substantial distance be forced into the metal extendingradially outwardly and then causing the metal to fiow upwardly in a direction opposite to the forging pressure to surround said sleeve.

PAUL E. FLOWERS. 

